Semiconductor devices known as charge compensation or super junction (SJ) semiconductor devices, for example SJ insulated gate field effect transistors (SJ IGFETs) are based on mutual space charge compensation of n- and p-doped regions in a semiconductor substrate or body allowing for an improved trade-off between area-specific on-state resistance Ron×A and breakdown voltage Vbr between load terminals such as source and drain. Performance of charge compensation of SJ semiconductor devices depends on a lateral or horizontal charge balance between the n-doped and p-doped regions. A typical application field of high-voltage SJ IGFETs capable of blocking voltages greater than 1000V or greater than 1500V relates to motor drives. Since motor windings are stacked on each other, voltage ramps at the motor terminal or the motor windings have to be limited. Typical voltage ramps during switching modes are in a range of several kV/μs. When the voltage ramps become too high for the motor, the voltage increase between winding strands becomes too high and may cause ageing of the isolation, for example by partial discharge that may lead to an early failure of the motor. Further failures may be caused by high capacitive currents flowing from the motor windings through the rotor and the bearing to ground. These high capacitive currents may also cause ageing of the bearing that may lead to an early failure of the motor.
It is desirable to improve a switching characteristic of a super junction semiconductor device.